Posted on 12/22/2018 8:16:17 AM PST by grimalkin
On Friday, December 21, 2018, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management (FSO) Subcommittee for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released his 2018 Festivus report, which documented over $114 million in government waste of the American people's tax dollars.
That has to be a typo. I'd be OK if the total was only $114 million.
“Studied daydreaming (NIH) ........................................................................................................... $2,488,153”
That’s my reaction, too. They have that much “leakage” every day. It wouldn’t take five minutes to find ONE TRILLION of waste in fedzilla.
What a ridiculous joke. Why is he wasting time on chump change?
Some highlights:
1.The federal government made at least $72 billion in improper payments in 2008.
2.Washington spends $92 billion on corporate welfare (excluding TARP) versus $71 billion on homeland security.
3.Washington spends $25 billion annually maintaining unused or vacant federal properties.
4.Government auditors spent the past five years examining all federal programs and found that 22 percent of them -- costing taxpayers a total of $123 billion annually -- fail to show any positive impact on the populations they serve.
5.The Congressional Budget Office published a "Budget Options" series identifying more than $100 billion in potential spending cuts.
6.Examples from multiple Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports of wasteful duplication include 342 economic development programs; 130 programs serving the disabled; 130 programs serving at-risk youth; 90 early childhood development programs; 75 programs funding international education, cultural, and training exchange activities; and 72 safe water programs.
7.Washington will spend $2.6 million training Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job.
Provided stipends to soldiers in the Somali National Army (State). $76,321,379
Promoted the already overcrowded farmers market industry (USDA). $13,400,000
Taught Rwandan special interest groups and citizens how to lobby (State). $250,000
Used theater to combat homelessness and poverty (NEA). $15,000
Studied the sexual habits of quails on cocaine (NIH). $874,503
Funded a fictionalized opera about Prince Harry (NEA). $15,000
Made videos marketing U.S. colleges to Indian students (State). $75,000
Blew leaf blowers at lizards (NSF). $75,691
Supported “legislative priorities” in Libya (State). $1,000,000
Put on plays in Afghanistan (State). $200,000
Studied horse and donkey hunting on the ancient Anatolian Peninsula (NSF). $361,891 Supported
Egyptian tourism (State). $18,000,000
Paid to bring British student social activists to the U.S. (State). $200,000
Encouraged people in the Republic of the Congo to use local resources (State). $35,000
Studied daydreaming (NIH). $2,488,153
Conceptualized games in India (State). $50,000
Paid for museum trips in Bosnia & Herzegovina for Bosnians & Herzegovinians (State). $50,000
Developed a Pashto-language TV drama series for Afghanistan (State). $653,014
Taught female entrepreneurs in India how to “vlog” (State). $50,000
Supported asset seizure programs in Paraguay (State). $400,000
TAXPAYER DOLLARS WASTED: $114,514,631
The Golden Fleece Award (1975–1988) was a tongue-in-cheek award given to public officials in the United States for their squandering of public money.
Let me express my utter contempt for the idea of a ‘Festivus’ holiday. Created as a gag in a sitcom, it has become a bitter time for the anti-religious, to show their hate and contempt for Christmas and Christians. It has no real joy within it, and serves as a launching pad for the depressed with thoughts of suicide.
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